Hammel unveils compact delivery

Rockies right-hander getting ball out of glove faster

Showing off his new compact delivery against the Diamondbacks, Jason Hammel threw two scoreless innings on Tuesday in his spring debut for the Rockies.

"I'm getting the ball out of my glove faster, and I'm very encouraged," Hammel told the The Arizona Republic. "I'm still conscious that I have to get it out of my glove, and by the beginning of the regular season, I want to get it completely out of mind, like it just happens."

"This guy has tremendous stuff," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "He's very capable, and he's already shown that. He's been a double-digit winner the past two years. The next step is for him to realize that when he hits a trouble spot, he maintains focus and keeps himself involved."

Cashner learning tips from Wood: Andrew Cashner has appreciated the time he's gotten to spend with Cubs teammate Kerry Wood, and says Wood has been showing him how to throw a cut fastball.

"Just talking with him about that, and about baseball, has been great," Cashner told the Chicago Tribune. "Never thought I'd get a chance to do that, and now I'm playing on the same team with him."

Knee forces Beltran to make move to right field: Carlos Beltran has told Mets manager Terry Collins that he is ready to make the switch to right field after it became clear that his surgically repaired right knee can't handle the daily grind of center field. Angel Pagan will play center field for the Mets.

"In my heart, I still feel like I can play center field, but based on the situation with my knee, it's better that Pagan be the center fielder," Beltran told the New York Daily News.

Added Pagan, "He's a big mentor for me, and I wanted him to be 100 percent and be able to play center field, but now that he has given me that opportunity, I'm really grateful to be next to him. I feel really fortunate to be passed this torch to the player I have always looked up to."

Chris Perez reflects on road to closing: Chris Perez is taking great satisfaction with his outstanding 2010 season, during which he recorded 23 saves and posted a 1.71 ERA for the Indians.

"It was a tremendous year for me personally," Perez told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Obviously, I was able to finally achieve what I always wanted to do in this game, which is to be a closer. I had a really good second half and that kind of validates all the hard work and years that it took to get to this point."

Derrek Lee making the most of spring drills: Derrek Lee isn't able to fully participate in drills with the Orioles, but bench coach Willie Randolph appreciates Lee's dedication.

"That's leadership," Randolph told MLB.com, speaking of Lee's early involvement in all of the spring drills. "That's showing everybody, 'I'm here to work. I may be a little bit slow in some of the things I'm doing, but I still want to be a part of it.'

"He understands the concept of getting this infield together early and often and feeling each other as a unit."

Sabathia shows knee not an issue: CC Sabathia threw two scoreless innings against Detroit in his spring debut and showed that his knee is 100 percent after offseason surgery.

"It felt great," Sabathia told the New York Daily News. "After the first bullpen, I knew it would be fine."

After his outing against the Tigers, Sabathia said he was pleased with his ability to command his fastball.

"Usually, it takes me a while to get it," Sabathia said. "To have it pretty good this early, I can start working on my other pitches. I still need to get opposite arm side in to righties, but that will just take a little while."

Jaso slotted for leading spot with Rays: Tampa Bay manager John Maddon plans to use John Jaso as the leadoff hitter, with Johnny Damon hitting second.

"Without anything changing, I see it that way," Maddon told the St. Petersburg Times. "I still like the way [Jaso] works his at-bats, I like his base-running skills."

Miller shines in debut with Red Sox: Andrew Miller's debut with the Red Sox was a smashing success against Minnesota. Pitching in the sixth inning, Miller threw seven pitches, all of which were strikes. He struck out two batters and retired the side in order.

"Extremely exciting," manager Terry Francona told the Boston Herald of Miller's outing. "That was really fun to watch. That was about as good an inning as you're ever going to see."

Miller, drafted sixth overall by Detroit in 2006, was acquired from Florida in the offseason. He has been working hard on repeating his delivery and Francona is hopeful that he can continue to throw strikes.

"We kind of want to let his natural athleticism and arm strength play," he said. "I mean, that ball comes out of his hand about as pretty as you're ever going to see."

Chipper Jones making progress: Chipper Jones is ready to take the next step in his comeback. He's appeared in three Spring Training games as a designated hitter and he has slid hard into second base to break up a double play. Now he just has to play the field, a task he is set to take on Friday.

"He really has been fine," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "One day in pitchers and catchers camp it bothered him a little bit, but other than that he's been fine."

Accardo finds a strong fit in Baltimore: Jeremy Accardo is thrilled to be getting a new life with the Orioles and says he's excited to come to the ballpark.

"I couldn't be happier with where I'm at now," Accardo told MLB.com. "Before, it was kind of tough to get excited about the little things, but here it's a different story. I'm happy to come to the park every day, and I'm excited."